Looking back on 2016, I can hardly believe my own life.

Two months have gone by and our sweet little babe has developed quite a personality. Dakota loves to spend her hours awake playing with her rattles and “activity” toys. She’s perfectly content to lay in her crib as we wind up her mobile and watch it unravel over and over again.

I’ve started back to work (part time, from home) so instead of daily outings, our mornings and afternoons are filled with fun little games around the house. This way I can quickly dive into work during naps.

Our tiny family’s first Christmas together was magical.

Sweet little Dakota has already gleefully embraced family fireside cocoas, tree trimming, and singing along to carols while twirling around the house. That first Christmas morning of three was absolutely delightful. While Dakota may not quite understand the significance of the season, both Alex and I woke reinvigorated with a childlike excitement, envisioning years of new family traditions ahead.

Where has the time gone? We can hardly believe our sweet girl is 4 weeks old already. At 11lbs and 22.5 inches, she’s in the 90^th percentile for weight and length. We just can’t get over her adorable pudgy roles and chubby cheeks.

Although we aren’t on a consistent routine just yet, we are getting a bit more sleep with only two feedings a night. She’s spending more time awake during the day and she’s quite alert, curiously staring and chatting. She’s especially noisy, cooing and snorting, when she sleeps!

Our first week with baby Dakota has been euphoric.

We aren’t sleeping much but every time we look at Dakota’s sweet little face or hold her tiny body in our arms, we can’t believe we made this little creature. My favorite part of each day is when we snuggle up in the armchair by the fireplace for early morning feedings and skin-to-skin cuddles. Dakota and I are lucky in that we’ve both taken to breastfeeding naturally (and boy, can she eat!)

4:40am on October 31st, 2017 marks the best moment of our lives and the start to a never-ending journey that will fundamentally alter everything we know and feel in all the best ways possible.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to start a blog so we can share this journey with close friends and family. We’re aiming for a photo diary of sorts that we can look back on as sweet Dakota grows up and our burgeoning family evolves. We hope this is the first of many posts that give you a glimpse into this new chapter in our lives.